Blood glucose measurement systems typically comprise an analyte meter that is configured to receive a biosensor, usually in the form of a test strip. Because many of these systems are portable, and testing can be completed in a short amount of time, patients are able to use such devices in the normal course of their daily lives without significant interruption to their personal routines. A person with diabetes may measure their blood glucose levels several times a day as a part of a self management process to ensure glycemic control of their blood glucose within a target range. A failure to maintain target glycemic control can result in serious diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and blindness.
There currently exist a number of available portable electronic analyte measurement devices (test meters) that are designed to activate automatically upon detecting the insertion of a test strip. In at least some of these devices electrical contacts in the meter establish connections with contact pads on the test strip, which cause a voltage fluctuation in a detection circuit of the meter. This resulting voltage change signals the microcontroller in the meter to activate resident electronic circuits as part of a “wake up” sequence in preparation for performing an assay when a sample is applied to the inserted test strip. Typically, electronic switches in the meter disconnect, or deactivate, the detection circuit in order to change over from a test strip detection mode to an analyte measurement mode. The electronic switches themselves draw, or leak, current even when they are deactivated which creates an unwanted noise source during the analyte measurement. The very small level of electric current that is generated and analyzed during an assay sequence may be affected by these leakage currents. Hence, it would be advantageous to implement a more efficient detection circuit that does not require devices that inherently leak current.